If the Edmonton Eskimos hold the B.C. Lions well below their season average of 29.9 points Saturday — as the Esks did a month ago, in a 27-23 win at Commonwealth Stadium — defensive coordinator Mike Benevides and defensive backs coach Barron Miles will look like masters of their circumstances.

If the Lions well exceed that average total in the second meeting, this time at B.C. Place Stadium, some of the Edmonton faithful might call it a calamity. A chance to finish second in the West Division, and gain home field in the first round of the playoffs, remains in play for both teams.

Whatever happens, the scoreboard isn’t up to the task of explaining what is a true calamity, or what is going through the mind of the 44-year-old Miles, the former Lions’ safety who recorded 36 of his 66 career interceptions in the Canadian Football League under Wally Buono. Miles was an assistant defensive backs coach for the Leos from 2010-2011 before he and Buono parted ways and Miles left for Saskatchewan.

“When I don’t keep a veteran player, people say that I’m not loyal,” Buono said Friday. “But there’s a difference between responsibility and loyalty. Let’s just say, Barron and I parted ways as loyal friends.

“Loyalty is, when that person needs help, and you can’t help that person, that’s not being a loyal friend. You do it because there’s a bond and an affection. You do it because, if I were in that situation, I would want them to help me.”

Buono and wife Sande sent out an all-points email to “fellow CFLers” this week, soliciting contributions to the emergency crowdfunding service GoFundMe on behalf of Jennifer Miles, Barron’s wife, who has an abdominal condition “that has left the family and doctors searching for answers.” Without health insurance, because of a pre-existing medical condition, she requires procedures and hospital expenses approaching $30,000 US, according to Buono. Jennifer Miles is a resident in Mesa, Ariz., with two of the couple’s three children.

Not averse to talking openly about his personal issues with dyslexia, Barron Miles nonetheless is extremely reluctant to talk about his wife’s health crisis, believing “that’s just part of life” that many families and individuals, out of the public limelight, have to endure.

“It’s nothing different than someone with a regular job has to face,” he told Postmedia. “I just happen to be involved in professional football. I’m a coach, and I try to separate my private life from my professional life.

“We’re proud people, like most people would be in this situation. I don’t like talking about it. I don’t want it to be a distraction. But it’s very thoughtful, all the same, for people like Wally and others to care and want to help out.”

Lions halfback Ryan Phillips, who started with the Lions in 2005 — the year Miles moved to B.C. after seven seasons with the Montreal Alouettes — still regards the latter as a mentor and part of his extended family.

“It’s unfortunate what Barron’s dealing with,” Phillips said. “It’s a lot of pressure, especially with him being in Edmonton, a long way from home. I still pray for him. I’m part of his support system.”

Second all-time in Lions’ lore with 47 career interceptions, but only one this season, Phillips said Miles is the behind-the-scenes story why he became so expert at pilfering forward passes.

“Barron would ask you, ‘Do you want to be good? Or do you want to be great?’ ” Phillips said. “Being great is attacking the football and going for the interception. You don’t gamble all the time, or make risky plays. But, if you want to be great, you have to go after those opportunities.”

As a team, the Lions have just nine interceptions in 15 games, two of them coming last week against Winnipeg when safety Mike Edem registered his first two picks of the 2016 season.

“Rule changes have had something to do with it,” Phillips said. “Guys play safe now, because you don’t know what’s going to be considered pass interference. The do’s and don’ts aren’t as flexible as before. But I also feel quarterbacks are more efficient. When you look at the West — the Bo Levi Mitchells and the Mike Reillys, the Matt Nichols — those guys don’t turn over the ball a lot. They’re precise. The quarterbacks are getting better and better at doing that.”

Indeed, the interception rate in the CFL is at an all-time low — one pick for every 42.5 pass attempts or 2.35 per cent. Reilly, who has thrown for more than 5,000 yards, is operating below the curve at a 2.1 per cent interception rate.

Rookie Anthony Gaitor was the only Lion to get him when the teams met a month ago, a turnaround game for the Esks who had lost three straight to that point. At 8-7, following a bye week, Edmonton can win the season series with B.C. and condemn the 9-6 Lions to fourth place by completing a sweep on Saturday.

“Momentum, you don’t carry into every game,” said Esks head coach Jason Maas. “Confidence you do. I’ve noticed a decided difference in our team over the last three weeks. It couldn’t come at a better time for us. We’re ready to finish this off strong.”

NEXT GAME

Saturday

Edmonton Eskimos at B.C. Lions

4 p.m., B.C. Place Stadium

TSN, TSN 1040 AM

THE THREE KEYS

What’s shakin’?

There’ll be a whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on with linebacker Solomon Elimimian, even before The Elim-inator takes the field Saturday afternoon. The CFL’s tackles leaders is achieving spring-necked immortality in the form of 5,000 bobblehead dolls, bearing his likeness, that will be handed out to fans before the game. The other half of Team 100, Adam Bighill, had his own bobblehead night back on Aug. 13. The pair are seeking to become the first teammates to record 100 defensive tackles on the same CFL team in the same season. Elimimian has a league-leading 113 DTs; Bighill needs four more to reach 100 for the third time. “The thing we focus on is making the most of the opportunities we get,” Bighill says. “We’re not focused on numbers.”

Call to Hall

The Lions will recognize the latest inductees into the virtual B.C. Football Hall of Fame at halftime, among them two former quarterbacks: Damon Allen and Eric Guthrie. The team’s all-time passing yards leader, Allen is unable to attend the event, but he has a stand-in — his 14-year-old grandson, Justice Allen Cherwick. Guthrie, known as the “Canadian Rifle,” played 64 games for the Lions in the 1970s after a starry college career at Boise State. Steve Cotter, a guard with B.C.’s first Grey Cup champion team in 1964, and former CFL/NFL defensive end Harald Hasselbach are also Hall-bound. Hasselbach, who won both a Grey Cup (Calgary) and Super Bowl (Denver), is being represented by high school coach Ron Ueyama.

Pass … Fail

Lions running back Jeremiah Johnson goes into Saturday’s game with the worst passer rating in the CFL — minus 414.6 — and with little intention to make up lost ground against the Eskimos. In his only pass attempt this season, Johnson initiated a night to remember last Saturday for Winnipeg rookie safety Taylor Loffler when he tossed an interception on a halfback option squarely into Loffler’s numbers in the first quarter of the Lions’ 35-32 loss to the Blue Bombers. Terrell Sinkfield, the intended receiver, would have needed Inspector Gadget arms to make the catch. But he fell down as Johnson’s pass sailed over him for the first of two Loffler interceptions. “I think that play is out the window,” Johnson admits. “It’s something you likely won’t see in this offence again.”

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.

Football Videos

Connect With Us

Email Alerts

Get the latest news in your mailbox as it happens

Sports Highlights

Classified

Buy, sell and trade smarter.

Stories, pictures and tributes to life. View and place obituaries, and more.

Share the joy. Tell the world. Read and place announcements here.

The faster, fresher and greener way to shop flyers.

Find the job you want in your city. View and place job listings, and more.

Share

Mike Beamish: Lions pray for coach Barron Miles, but hope to prey on his resurgent Eskimos

Almost Done!

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Market to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.